I Hate You
by OddKitty
Summary: They're not the three words he was hoping for, but after what he'd done, Sasuke supposed that he probably deserved it. NaruSasuNaru. Curse the Bunnies.


A/N: This isn't something I normally write. CURSE THOSE BLASTED PLOT BUNNIES!

* * *

What better way to capture the kyuubi then by tying down the host? It was a simple plan and for Sasuke, one he wasn't adverse to.

Of course, Naruto had a number of choice words to say about it, most of which couldn't possibly be repeated for their severe crudity and all of them aimed at the raven haired man.

Because while Naruto would have done anything, _anything_ for Sasuke - the man he'd been chasing across the years and over different continents for - he would have actually preferred a say in the matter. But Sasuke being the cold-hearted and selfish Teme that he was had gone ahead and acted without actually consulting the blond ahead of time; not that that's anything new.

And so, inevitably,

"I _HATE YOU!"_ Naruto screamed his face red and pained with rage, tears coursing down his face and his hair sticking to his forehead in sweaty tendrils. He was restrained to the bed with wrist straps pinning his arms to the bed and ankle straps tied to the stirrups that kept his knees spread wide apart. Naruto let out another agonized howl as a seizure crawled up his spine, making all his muscles clamp and he fought against the restraints as each steady throb of pain grew closer and closer together. He was hooked up to a series of monitoring devices, looking like a science experiment, which considering the circumstance wasn't far off the truth.

Sasuke watched dispassionately from the corner of the room, keeping his distance as the others in the room manoeuvred around the blond, adjusting this wire, that medicine, taking samples and prodding and poking the clearly distressed Naruto who cried, snarled and grunted when anyone got too close.

He couldn't let his emotions affect him now, not at this time, not when things were so crucial. He held his arms crossed against his chest and as the moments, the hours passed, his nails began to dig cruelly into the flesh of his arms, betraying how tense and worried he really was.

He hadn't wanted this to happen; not this way. He'd always had an image in his head of the reunion between him and his team mate, but this particular result had been completely beyond his expectations. He supposed that Itachi would be happy, wherever he was.

"I _fucking hate you!" _Naruto screeched and Sasuke couldn't help the flinch that betrayed how much his friend's words were affecting him. Naruto sobbed and Sasuke became aware of the blood that coated the gloves of the surgeons in the room. But no matter how gruesome the scene was, no matter how much he wanted to run, to leave and to never look back at the sight before him, he at least owed it to the blond to stay. At least that much, it was all he could do as he watched the agony that he'd willingly put Naruto through.

It had been his orders, though, something he couldn't avoid even if he'd truly wanted to; orders from the Hokage no less, anything so long as it tamed the demon-vessel.

I bet she hadn't been expecting this.

"Okay, one more time," one of the doctors urged and Naruto gritted his teeth and screamed, hands grabbing fistfuls of blanket beneath him.

And then silence.

A silence that was only as long as a breath but felt like an eternity of anxiety and pain and worry, and then another cry. Not really a cry, no, actually, more like a whimper, a little mewling sound that seemed to trigger the collective breathing of everyone present. Time resumed its normal pace and activity buzzed in the room, but the sick feeling at the pit of his stomach was not going away, would not be abated until he saw Naruto, to see how he was.

The operation, he knew from what the doctors had explained to him beforehand had been nothing short of physical torture for the blond and he could see that from the monitors, the man was exhausted, weak, but no longer in pain. It was gone. Naruto was free now, but the cost…was it too high?

Every nerve in Sasuke's body was ready to flee, wanting to run away, but he diligently forced himself to move towards the bed where his ex-team mate now lay, azure eyes fluttering against the onslaught of sleep.

Gently, Sasuke began the process of unstrapping the man's wrists until they lay limply by his sides, then moved to untie his legs from their forced position. Truly the violence of the procedure was so much so that doubt was not so subtly pressing against Sasuke's conscience.

He should have said something, he knew that; he'd known it since the moment that he'd been given the mission that he should have involved Naruto from the start.

But a nagging insecurity had stopped him and he'd selfishly ambushed him, giving him no options, no choice in the matter and no way of escape. He returned to the side of the bed, looking at Naruto's flushed features as his chest heaved with the effort he'd endured.

Softly, Sasuke wrapped his fingers around Naruto's limp digits. He squeezed gently, looking for response and as the absence of recognition stretched a dull ache began to tighten around his heart and he brought his other hand to cup the one already in his grip, a slight tremor shaking his frame.

As if roused, Naruto tiredly turned to the raven and the briefest pressure against his fingers was all it took for Sasuke to break down. He leant down into Naruto, face sheltered against his neck and shoulder and he cried, like he hadn't done since he was very small. Sobs wracked his body and the tears dripped from his eyes in a hot, uncontrollable stream.

A tanned hand in his hair slowly soothed him and after a long moment he was able to draw back and inspect the whiskered face beneath his. The hand in his hair pulled hi down for a gentle, chaste kiss before releasing him.

Hoarsely, Naruto murmured, "You do realise that you're going to be on the couch for the next three months, right?"

Sasuke laughed, hard and nodded wetly, forgoing his usual stoic mask. Naruto reached up a tired hand and gently wiped a tear that still clung glistening to Sasuke's lashes.

"Uzumaki-san?" A voice interrupted from a universe away. "Would you like to see it?" Even before the blond could respond, a trolley was wheeled in and placed beside the bed. Fighting his fatigue, Naruto pushed himself into a sitting position with Sasuke's help and peered almost desperately at the small bundle beside him.

A shock of black hair was matted to the squashed little head and the eyes were shut, the baby silently breathing in a tired sleep. Naruto reached over a shaking hand to touch the tiny chest of the babe and fresh tears spilled from his eyes. From a clinical point of view, the baby was as red as a lobster, had a face like an angry man and the worst comb-ever known to humanity, but to Sasuke, he felt his heart nearly break, the breath stolen from his lungs at the sight of the child. This beautiful child; his child.

And Naruto, it was like you couldn't even see his breath, but the clear adoration and untempered pure love that shone from his eyes, made him all the more stunning to Sasuke. Naruto gently caressed the cheek of the infant with a finger before turning his quivering gaze to Sasuke, his lover.

"He's ours…" he said in wonder. Sasuke leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on Naruto's lips and the two of them sat for half the night, watching over the child as it slept its first day in the world away. Only once their child had been taken from the room to be placed in the Nursery did Naruto succumb to sleep and left Sasuke veritably alone with his thoughts as he sat by the blonde's side.

Sasuke supposed he should thank the demon, really, for being asexual, for going in to heat and making it even remotely possible for them to have this chance at life. The pregnancy had done little to calm the Kyuubi's rage, but Sasuke had noticed a difference the moment the child had been born.

So maybe, the Kyuubi should be thanking him right now, too. Naruto certainly wasn't.

* * *

Later, they learned that the child was a boy, which sparked the fight over what they were going to call him, both finally deciding on Aki. And when Aki first opened his eyes, it was to reveal startling blue orbs that were as mesmerising as Naruto's.

And when Aki was old enough to talk, they found out that he was as quiet as his Father, but still as mischievous as his Dad.

Then Sasuke learned that two could play at that game….

And so,

"Naruto! You asshole! _I_ _FUCKING HATE YOU!" _

Of course, he shouldn't have felt so elated by the change in circumstances, but Naruto couldn't suppress the slightly evil grin that graced his features as he kept his distance from the raven. Sasuke looked about ready to rip Naruto's balls from his body with his bare hands and feed it to him, if it weren't for the restraints keeping him tied to the bed.

Sweat matted the fine black locks to his face and his cheeks were flushed an almost lobster red. Sasuke snarled at Naruto's smug, and yet still caring expression and snarled.

"Do you hear me, _I hate you!"_

* * *

It was a girl. She had black hair, and black eyes and on either cheek three little whisker marks, faint against her pale complexion; Mikoto was even more of a handful than her big brother.

Naruto really should thank Kyuubi. After all this little role reversal would never have been possible without him. But then, Kyuubi was like a doting grandfather, mellowing in his old age and at peace knowing that even just a small fragment of his power had been passed onto his 'grandchildren'. So secretly, he was kind of thanking the Uchiha for this, oh and his little Naruto.

Who was, of course, the number one ninja at surprising people.


End file.
